Porsche 963 RSP: Le Mans race car turned into road-going hypercar

Porsche has a new hypercar based on its Le Mans Daytona hybrid (LMDh) class race car, but it's just a one off.
Unveiled ahead of this week's 24 Hours of Le Mans, the new 963 RSP is based on the 963 race car that competes in the FIA's World Endurance Championship –of which Le Mans is one of eight races — and the IMSA SportsCar Championship, which includes the 24 Hours of Daytona.
The new 963 RSP is so named because it was built, nominally, for Roger Searle Penske, owner of many racing teams, the IndyCar racing series, and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Porsche Penske Motorsports runs the factory team racing the 963.
Through his eponymous corporation he also his hands in car dealerships, automotive engineering, trucking, and logistics.
According to Porsche, the RSP is inspired by the Count Rossi 917 (pictured below), a race car from the 70s that was turned into a road-going vehicle, and remains on French roads to this day.
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The team working on turning the 963 race car into the RSP decided early on to follow the Count Rossi 917 template, and make as few changes as possible.
This, no doubt, reduced development time and cost significantly, but also means the RSP is not homologated, and is limited to road use under 'special circumstances'. For its debut on the streets near Circuit de la Sarthe, where the Le Mans 24 Hour race is held, it wore manufacturer plates.
To that end the head- and tail-lights have been reprogrammed, while a horn and licence plate brackets have been added to the car. The most significant changes to the 963's exterior are the addition of fully covered wheel arches, and the removal of the blanking plates for the rear wing.
An enamel Porsche badge has been added to the front, while 70s-era Michelin logos are used for the rain-spec 18-inch race tyres that are wrapped around forged OZ racing wheels.
Painting the 963 RSP in Martini Silver was problematic due to the car's Kevlar and carbon-fibre body. Some smaller body parts, such as the hinges and wing connectors, are finished in satin black.
For the interior, the single-piece air-conditioned carbon seat is trimmed in leather. It is made more comfortable with a cushion down the middle and a fixed headrest fitted to the rear bulkhead.
Leather is also used for the steering wheel, while faux suede is applied to the headlining, leg cushions and door trim. A 3D-printed cup holder has been added to the middle of the dashboard.
As real-world roads aren't race track smooth, the RSP sits on the 963's tallest suspension setting, and the race-going Multimatic DSSV dampers are set to their most absorbent.
Powering the RSP is a hybrid system with a 4.6-litre twin-turbo V8 at its core, a 1.35kWh battery, 800V electrical system, and an electric motor that can deliver up to 50kW in short bursts.
The drivetrain is in race-spec trim, and overall output is limited to the V8's maximum output of around 507kW (680hp). When the electric motor operates in tandem with the petrol engine, the V8's power is clipped so the maximum output of the drivetrain is maintained.
Under light loads, the 963 can operate solely on electric power. Given the RSP will live most of its life driving at a moderate pace, the electric motor has been remapped to prioritise smooth power delivery. The V8 engine has also been retuned to live on lower-octane road-going petrol.
After swanning around at Le Mans, the 963 RSP will head off to the Porsche museum in Stuttgart, and then make an appearance at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed.

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This week, the fabled German automaker sent a stern message to the global high-performance market, unveiling a thinly disguised road-legal version of its extreme 963 hybrid Le Mans race car. Built for billionaire racing team owner Roger Penske, this is a one-of-a-kind ride is, aside from being the ultimate flex in the ALDI parking lot, inspired by the equally bonkers and iconic 917. 'This really started out as a 'what if?' – a passion project by a small team of enthusiasts at Penske and at Porsche who together imagined a version of the 963 that really resembled as closely as possible the spirit and appearance of the Count Rossi 917,' Porsche Cars North America president and CEO Timo Resch said. 'The 917 from the story was every inch a race car – albeit one driven on the road – and we took the same approach with the 963 RSP. It uses beautiful materials of the best quality available, but is still every bit a race car underneath.' Porsche 963 RSP | Image: Porsche A racecar, indeed. The ultra-unique 963 RSP model was reportedly developed as a sort of skunkworks project, with the ethos to stay as close to the original car as possible. Unbelievably, the hybrid V8 powertrain, which comes with a lithium-ion battery, continues to remain in race tune in the 963 RSP. The 4.6-litre twin-turbocharged V8 dishes up 680 hp and originated in the RS Spyder race program operated by Penske. As Porsche fanatics may remember, that same engine, in an enlarged form, was used in the 918 hypercar; however, where the 918 Spyder used the engine in naturally aspirated form, the 963 pairs it with two turbochargers provided by the Dutch manufacturer Van der Lee. Hence, the acceleration is violent and has nearly the same intensity as that of the race car. Crazy. Porsche 963 RSP interior | Image: Porsche With so much additional acceleration power, Porsche has understandably remapped the ECU for a (relatively) smoother power delivery, while also modifying the control unit to use headlights and indicators. Of course, if you want to drive a racing car on the road, the ride height must be increased, and the same has been done here with the adjustable Multimatic DSSV dampers. These handy additions are generally reserved for racing prototypes and in this setting, have been tuned to their softest setting. According to Porsche, this creates a more compliant ride, one that will leave your spine intact next time you go on the morning coffee run. Make no mistake, this is not a Panamera but a true hardcore machine, and the driving experience has been kept as uncorrupted as possible. Porsche 963 RSP | Image: Porsche The same goes for the design, which looks stunning, especially when clad in this 'Martini Silver' hue, which matches the 917, and it is not a wrap. To add a contrast effect, some of the components have been painted in satin black with a 3D printed '963 RSP' logo being applied to the rear of the car. The 963 RSP does have some changes over the 963, including fender vents and carbon fibre blanking plates that sit within the rear wing. To further bring it closer to the 917, the Porsche logo is enamel and not a graphic, along with 1970s-era Michelin logos for the tire walls with 18-inch tyres. Compared to the 963, the road car is far more luxurious on the inside and comes with a lovely tan interior, while the single-piece carbon seat comes trimmed in leather, no less. There is even a detachable 3D-printed cup holder, which means it is quite a practical Porsche, although luggage space is questionable. Porsche 963 RSP | Image: Porsche 'We have enjoyed a terrific relationship with Porsche dating back to 1972. The Porsche 917/30 was one of the greatest eras in Team Penske history with numerous wins and championships, along with the closed-course speed record set by Mark Donohue in 1975,' Roger Penske, chairman of the Penske Corporation said. 'With such a remarkable partnership continuing to this day, we felt it was time to create the most exciting car we could imagine. Just like the 917, I wanted this car to be authentic to its origin and have as few changes to it as possible. When we got into the project, the differences in the two generations of race cars provided a great challenge. What emerged is a car that has lost none of its edge and is exciting whether on the track or on the road.' Porsche has not revealed just how much the 963 RSP costs, but for a one-off like this, you can expect the price tag to mirror the 917. 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